


Happiness and Delight

by EHeartAngel



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: Edo Era, F/M, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 05:21:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15812244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHeartAngel/pseuds/EHeartAngel
Summary: A fix-it fic to my other works, "Happiness" and "Delight". ShinEtsu.





	Happiness and Delight

Etsu dropped a few plates she’d been carrying and bent down to pick them up, her lips pursed and her brows furrowed as she bit back tears. She remained on her knees, wiping at her eyes, trying to bite back a sob. She was so scared.  
  
“Etsu-chan!” Chizuru hastily walked in and kneeled down to clean up the mess of plates. “Did you hurt yourself? Are you okay?” She placed a hand on the other girl’s shoulder.

“I-I’m sorry, Chizuru-chan,” She wiped her tears and took a deep breath. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Shin since they left.” Etsu remembered the looks he’d been giving her when she had been helping him get dressed. His blue eyes had kept looking at her as if it would be the last time he’d be able to lay eyes on her, and the thought terrified her. _“…I’m just saying this, y’know, in case, but I have no intention of leaving you, but no matter what happens to me, I want you to be happy.”_ He’d said, with this tender look, his fingers had gently stroked her cheek.

_“You make me happy. You’re my happiness, Shin, so please come back to me. Please._ ” She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about every little moment they’d spent together before he’d left. Fear was eating her raw, and she didn’t know what to do if he didn’t return.

“Etsu-chan, perhaps you should rest for a while. I can finish here.” Chizuru finished cleaning the broken pieces of the plates and helped her up. “You have to think more about yourself.” She added before Etsu could protest. “Please?”

Sighing, Etsu nodded, slowly shuffling out of the kitchen and into the common room where Shinpachi had taken his leave with the others. She sat down, her arms naturally hugging her middle. There was a lingering regret of not telling him something so ridiculously important.

No. She had faith that he would return, and when he did, she would tell him. She had to stop thinking so negatively. He would return. He had to. He promised. Shinpachi wasn’t one that broke promises easily, and she hoped he kept his word since he always boasted that “a real man always keeps his word.”  
  
“He’ll come back, right?” She murmured quietly, cringing slightly at the sounds of canons.  
  
–  
  
She didn’t know how much time had passed, but before she knew it, the sun was beginning to set, and she could hear the sounds of soldiers piling into the common room from the kitchen where she was helping Chizuru prepare a meal. She untied her yukata sleeves and dashed to the common room, and spotted Saitō, Hijikata, Harada file in among the other soldiers that were helping the injured to another room designated to the injured. She clutched Harada’s bloodstained sleeve and looked up at him with hopeful eyes since she had not caught sight of her beloved. Fear washed over her, squeezing her heart as his amber eyes met hers. Her light brown eyes were already watering with tears. “Sano-san! Where is Shin?!”

“Ah, Shimada’s bringing him, look,” Harada pointed to the larger man that was supporting the Second Unit Captain.

“Shin!” Etsu ran over, her tears already spilling as she kneeled next to him where Shimada set him down. “You big dummy!” She lightly hit his chest. “You worried me!”

“Ah-ah-ow!” Shinpachi winced, clutching his injured shoulder. “I’m sorry, Honey.” He leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I’m still in one piece, aren’t I?” He chuckled as she lifted her face to puff her cheeks angrily at him.

“Yamazaki-kun treated him, but he still needs more treatment, I’ll take him to the bay.” Shimada helped Shinpachi up as Etsu followed them, still choking back sobs.

“Maa, maa…Dumplin’, it’s okay…please stop crying…” Shinpachi sighed, slowly pulling off his haori, wincing and gritting his teeth as he exposed the gunshot in his arm.

“How can I, Nagakura Shinpachi?” She sobbed, dabbing her oncoming tears away. “You’ve worried me so much! I’m just so happy to see you!”

Blue eyes blinked in confusion and he grabbed the nearest tokkuri to pour himself a drink, the sake that was supposed to help disinfect wounds. “…so…you’re crying because you’re happy to see me?”

Etsu grabbed his cheeks and kissed him in front of all the injured soldiers, the few that were watching them whistled and teased the Captain. “I’m just…so relieved.” She sniffled, taking his hand in hers.

Chizuru arrived, using a rag to wipe sweat off her forehead. “I’m here to finish treating your wound, Nagakura-san, Etsu-chan, do you mind helping me?”

Etsu finished wiping her tears and started disinfecting the wounds on his face while Chizuru finished stitching the wound.

Shinpachi took her hand in his before she began to dress the small cuts on his face. “Honey, I promised that I’d be back. You didn’t have to worry so much.”

  
Etsu puffed her cheeks in annoyance. “Yes, I did, Honey Bear! How was I going to survive without the father of my child?”

The whole room went silent, and Etsu froze on the spot, only then realizing what she’d said. This wasn’t the time or the place for this conversation, but now she’d said it! Her cheeks flushed a bright red as she turned away to get little bandages. She hoped everyone would go back to what they were doing and ignore her.

Shinpachi opened his mouth and closed it several times, his blue eyes darting to Chizuru as she lowered her head to concentrate on the task at hand and avoid his gaze. “F-f-father?” He let out an exasperated breath. Had he heard that correctly?

Etsu flushed and turned back to look at him, placing a hand on her womb. “…y-yes, Shin…a-are you upset?” Honestly, she’d been fearful of how he’d react. She couldn’t ask him to leave the Shinsengumi and settle down with her to start a family, though that was such a selfish wish she wouldn’t force upon him.

Shinpachi remained silent for a few moments before he cupped her cheeks in his large hands and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. “I’m so thrilled, Dumplin’! How could I be upset?!” He wrapped his good arm around her and kissed her growing middle. “This is a baby, _our_ baby.”

Etsu’s cheeks flushed with a deeper red as she cupped his cheeks. “I-I’m so glad, Shin…”  
—  
Shinpachi had taken only a few days to strengthen his resolve before he decided there was no place for him and for Etsu in this war any longer. He moved them far away from the fighting where they lived off the land and lived in peace.

“Hey there!” Shinpachi grabbed his four-year old daughter that had been running at full speed towards the meadow they lived by. He lifted her up with one arm and placed her on his shoulder. “Where do you think you’re going, ‘jou-chan?”

“Papa!” She giggled, her light blue eyes sparkling with delight. “I saw a butterfly! I wanted to catch it to show it to Shinichi!”

Shinpachi chuckled and walked back towards their house where Etsu was cradling their six-month old son. She held a finger to her lips as the pair approached them. Shinpachi sat next to her on the engawa, placing their daughter on his knee as he wrapped an arm around Etsu and the three peered down at Shinichi’s sleeping face.

“When will he walk, Mama?” Etsuko whispered in a loud whisper.

“Maybe in two more seasons, Tsu-chan.” Etsu giggled quietly, taking out blades of grass from her reddish-brown hair. “Were you rolling down the hill again?”

“No-! Um, yes, mama…” Her daughter was also a terrible liar like her mother.

“Look, you’ve got grass stains on your cheeks.” Shinpachi spit on his thumb and rubbed her cheeks while Etsuko let out a playful shriek as she wriggled in his arm.

Etsu quietly shushed them and sighed when the baby cracked his light brown eyes open, and was relieved when he merely yawned and stretched as he settled in her arms again. “Why don’t you and Papa go catch some fish for dinner?”

Shinpachi and Etsuko grinned the same grin, causing Etsu to giggle softly as the pair stood up, Etsuko swinging from her father’s arm and climbing onto his back.  
–  
“What’s he sayin’?” Shinpachi and Etsuko where on the floor with Shinichi that was speaking in his baby babble, and the young girl had convinced her father that she could understand what he was saying.

“He says Etsuko-neesan should get a new doll.” She grinned.  
Etsu shook her head and laughed, while working on embroidery. “I think Tsu-chan is lying~.”

“But my doll needs a friend, mama!” Etsuko pouted, crossing her arms and looking up at her father with pitiful blue eyes.

“That’s cheatin’.” He groaned, ruffling her hair. “We’ll think about it. Now, let’s get ready for bed, it’s already dark enough.” He swept up both of his children in his arms, his daughter shrieking with delight.

Once the lantern was extinguished and the children were tucked in their respective beds, Etsu and Shinpachi remained standing, watching both of their children drift off blissfully into the land of sweet dreams. Etsu’s hand found Shinpachi’s and he gave it a light squeeze. “They’re beautiful, Shin.”

“Mm,” He murmured, kissing her temple. “Thank you.”

She giggled quietly as she led him to their futon that was next to Etsuko’s. “Whatever for?”

“Being you. Falling in love with me. Bearing our children. Everything.” He flushed as he brought her close to him. She rested her cheek on his strong chest.  
  
“Well, thank you for falling in love with me and supporting us.” Etsu snuggled into his chest, closing her eyes. This was the bliss she’d dreamed of. They’d both dreamt of.

“My pleasure, Honey.”


End file.
